Durban lad sets sight on becoming the Ultimate Braai Master

TSEPO Mchunu's warm smile and friendly demeanour belies the dedicated young cook's fighting spirit to succeed. He has overcome challenges and obstacles to create a career in the hospitality industry and his next challenge is to become SA's Ultimate Braai Master.

Tsepho together with his braai buddy Ntando Phungula are Team Eminent in season four of the Ultimate Braai Master reality show.

The young cook hopes to win the title and show that dreams do come true if you work hard.

Growing up in Chesterville he tried hard at school but his mum knew she would not be able to assist him with a tertiary education. “My mum said she couldn't afford to send me to college but would try to get a friend to see if I could get into the police force. This was not my character and I'm not one for guns so I jumped at the opportunity when I saw that Suncoast had a Vukukhanye bursary on offer,” he said.

The bursary was not just academic excellence by community involvement and Tsepo was ecstatic when his hard work paid off and he was selected. “Its been a really good experience so far I started in their graduate programme then went to the marketing department and now I'm a VIP host and I get to cook again.”

Tsepo considers his mum, Judy to be his inspiration. Although he thinks she's a good cook, he says she did not teach him how to. “She always said that I have what it takes to be something big in the cooking industry.”

He is the oldest brother amongst his siblings and always felt the need to cook for them while his mum worked. He was six when he made his first dish- a chicken curry. “It wasn't awesome, but we ate it and I knew then, that I could do a lot better. His siblings continued to be his audience as he experiemented with combinations of spices and foods.

It was only when he was 17, that he realised that he could make a career out of cooking. “I once hosted a dinner for my friends and one of them said “He never seems to fail” that really gave me a boost.”

I realised I want to be a chef and one day open my own restaurant. While he loves trying out new cuisine, Tsepo is quite fussy about food that isn't prepared well so will often opt for a toasted sandwich when he is in doubt.

Igus, a Nigerian dish made with oxtail, chicken and various spices is his favourite and he hopes to do something similar in the Ultimate Braai Master. “I've been super excited and had the support of my team at Suncoast, my family, friends and especially my mum so really look forward to bringing home the title.”

After a rocky audition where police stopped him from making a braai on the beach for the judges, the 23-year-old's determination was put to the test. “I felt it was doomed when the police rocked up after I had set everything up and said it was a no braai area but I didn't let it deter me. My mum was with me and we both carried the braai stands and moved everything over to Moses Mabhida stadium I think the judges were happy I didn't give up!”

Tsepo cannot wait for the show to begin and looks forward to handling the twists, turns and conditions of the show. He will set off on the adventure today.